Shipbuilding basin



March 28, 1944.

R. A. MoNcRlr-:FF

SHIP BUILDING BASIN Filed Oct. 24, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 #van .b M.

Witness @d/1,@ .7.' MM

March 28, 1944. R .A MNCRlEF-F v 2,345,354 y SHIP BUILDING BASIN I4 Sheets-Sheet 2 o O U Filed Oct. 24, 1942 R. A. MONCR-IEFF SHIP BUILDING BASIN March V28, 1944.

Filed oct. 24, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 f1 Sheets-Sheet 4 /l/Af ll/l Patented Mar. v28, 1944 SHIPBUILDIN G BASIN Ray Al. Moncriei, Newton Center, Mass.assignor;

to Charles T.v Main,vv Inc.,

Boston, Mass.,.a cor,-y

poration ot Massachusetts.` Application' October 24, 1942, Serial No. 463,170'

7- Claims.

The present inventionv relates. to shipbuilding basins, dry docksaand the like, and more particularly to the gate or other` means by which the' mouth of the basin is closed to preventA the ingress ofl water and permit the basin to be:

pumped dry; so as to facilitate the building and repair ofvessels. v The usual shipbuilding' basin. or dry dock, is

Y located at the edge of' a harbor or otherv -body ot'water, the basin havinga permanent oor; sid'e walls and innerl end walli The level of the` floor lies below the water levelv in the adjacent harbor a depth such that at high tide the desired draft ofV vessel may be accommodated,` while the walls are suiliciently high to exclude the harbor waters at the highest tide.

In a basin of any size, the problem isto provide a dam or barrier for. the outer end which will be sufficiently strong toresist the tremendous inward. pressure ofthe water when thebasin is emptied,y yet4 will` not be. cumbersome, so as to render diicult the opening and closing of' the dock when the vessel isto be. iloated` into or out ofVA the basin. It is likewise desirable that sucha closure be so constructed and arranged that leakage of' water into the basin. will. be as small as possible.

For small basins it is feasible to employ swing- 'ing` gates similar to thoseV of a canal lock, but

such type of' closure requires relatively powerful and expensive operating mechanism which lies idle a great part of the time, especially in the case of a basin employed for the construction of ships. For the larger clocks and basins, iloating caissons have been employed, but these are large and unwieldy and hence are difiicult to maneuver into and out of position.

Itis-therefore an object of the presentinvention to provide va shipbuilding basin wherein .the closure for the outer end possesses' great strength andiaiiords a.; tightbarrier, yetv permits the basin to`4 beA opened and closedAv readily when a vessel istd enter-or leave. n y Itis' also an object-,of the invention to provide a basingate which is relativelysimple and inexpenfsivegin construction, and which requires no special ,operatingv mechanism or equipment for opening and' closing the basin.

With these objectsinview, the present invention contemplates the provision or agate forthe mouth of a dry; dock or ship* basin, which is made ,up of separate elements adapted to be assembled in place across the basin mouth, these elements being removable by the yard crane or other lifting means normally present a't the basin to'provide unobstructed passage to and fromA the basin. MoreI speciiically, the'V gate comprisesa number of' separate gate sections which are adapted'whenplaced side'by'sideto extend across the mouth or the basin from one wall-.to the l ofthe basin. faces a. harbor other. Through the use of. vertical stanchions disposed; betweenvv gate sections and supportedy by a truss or bridge. spanning the. basinv walls. adjacent the mouth,y the gate. sections are given support against' the inward pressure ofthewater. Through suchV arrangement,A relatively wide basins may be closedlwithout rendering any one oi" the. elements too. heavy for handling by the cranes normally found in a basin of that-size.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, Fig. 1 isa View infront elevation of a gate in place at the mouth ofA a shipbuilding basin, only so much of the, basin. being. shown in this and the other viewsl as is necessary to a full understanding of the invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the basin. gate, showing, however,v only the bottom. truss of the bridge, along with the individual gates and stanchions; Fig. 3A is a detail plan view ofthe gate sill, broken topermit the showing of both ends thereof, and with an end stanchion shown in section; Fig. 4 is a view of the basin gate in right side elevation, portions of the dock wall being brokenv away to permitashowing the sill, end, stanchion, and the. mounting of the bridge onthedock wall; Fig. 5f-is a detail sectional plany view showingv an intermediate stanchion and adjacent portions of.. the gates supported thereby; Fig; 6is a` broken left side elevation of one of. the individual` gates showing certain of the. supporting and` guiding rolls; Fig. '7 isa view in broken rear elevation of an'intermediat'e stanchion illustrating the positioning of the Wedges on.v the front flanges thereof; Fig. 81, is a view in broken` side elevation of' an intermediate stanchion and' its top end connection to the bridge, and Fig. 9 is aview infront elevation of a bearing plate ofthe stanchiontop and connection.

To illustrate' the construction vand arrangement of the gate of they invention, a; portion of the mouth or.l outer endV of` a shipbuilding basin of; typical constructiony is shown in. Figs. 1, 2 and 4. The basin comprises a noofr I2, side walls I4@y and aninner end, notshown. The mouth or other body of water: the height ofthe -basin walls and gate being suilicient to exclude the water at the highesti levels or tides; While'. the basin has been shown as constructed of concrete, and certain details of' the gate. are specially adapted for use withthis-.type of material, the basin may be made of othermaterials as conditions permit or require. The present inventionisconcerned with a gate that may beentirely'removed by lifting from position across the basin mouth when the'b'asin is to y be opened'. In order thatthe gate may be readily removed and replaced' by lifting apparatus ncrmally present in a shipbuilding-basin, and still provide a gate of sufficient strength to resist water pressure which may total inthe hundreds of tons, a number oi' separate-gate sections I8r are emdepending on the Width and depth of the basin mouth, and the permissible size and weight of the units.

These individual gates or sections compriseiasr' center ofgravity. 'Flooring 69 laid over the botframework of heavy channel "members with a skin or covering of metal sheets 22 'secured tothe outer face of the structural members. A lifting4 eye 24 at the top permits each section to be lifted j bodily by the dock yard crane.

Intermediate the gate sections are vertical stanchions 2S which notonly provide support for thesections, but also arearrang'ed to cooperate with the gate sections'in providing a seal against water leakage through the spaces `bei ',wee'ri" sec tions. VThese intermediatei'stanchions are of I section, having a centralw'ejb 28,,and front and rear fianges and 32, respectively, At the top of4 each intermediate stanchion a'ho1e 3 3 permits connectionof a vhook or, shackle .for lifting thel stanchion. r

To resist the tremendous pressure of -the water when thebasin is emptied, it is necessary that the stanchions, and particularly their lower ends',

' be givenunyielding support against inward displacement. This is accomplished by the use o f a stepped sill in the floor, of the basin (see Fig. 4) the Ysill comprising a vhorizontal member 34, on which the stanchion ends rest, and a vertical member 36 against which the rear flanges of the stanchions bear. This sill is v embedded in and forms a permanent part of the basin, the obliquely bent channels 38 and 40 serving to lock the sillI to the basin floor. 'i

Proper positioning of thev stanchions at their stations along the sill is insured by ared iianges 42 which engage the web 28 of the I section. As a further aid in lowering the stanchion into position,- especially when the water levely is high, Vthe sill' is provided with conical sockets 44 at"'the stanchion stations, while the stanchions 'are equipped with guiding rods'46 secured to their front flanges 30. Providing that the stanchions are lowered in approximately the correct locations, the ends of the guide rods enter the mouth of the sockets 44 so that on further lowering, the stanchions become centered automatically and the web portion drops into place between the sill guide flanges 42. As a result, the services of a. diver are generally unnecessary invv setting these inermediate stanchions in position.

The seepage of Water between the'sill and the bottom ledges of the gatevsections lis minimized throughthe use 'of a gasket or lsealing Ystrip 48 secured along its forward.edgetothe horizontal member 34 of the sill.` This strip,. fo'examplea length of heavy rubber beltingjcarries the weight of the gatesthereon, so tha't a tightjoint is made as soon as the gatesec'tions. are lowered-.into placa'` .f

-At each end `of the basin gate,whe're the gate sections meet the walls, permanent stanchions-50 'areprovided these like the sill being partially embedded in the cement structure'of the basin. As shown in Fig. 3, these end stanchions are of I section, with supplementary members 52 embedded in the cement vto lock the stanchions in place. The stanchions have their lower ends secured to the sill by flanges 54, principally to insure accurate positioningof the parts during'construction of the basin. Y

. The upper endsof the intermediate stanchions 'if tom basin mouth.

i' formed by front and rear I-beams 62 and 64, ip icross members 65 and diagonals 6B. LA pin 61 between cross members 68 on the top of the bridge permits the bridge to'be lifted at a point over its -truss provides "a convenient cross Walk at the The bridge is mounted on the walls of the basin iri'recesses 10, the rear Walls of which are provided with bearing plates 12 so that the thrust of thebridge may be directly resisted by the body of the Walls.' Spacing members 1.4 carry. the thrust of the I-be'ams and cross membersto these bearing plates.' .The weighto'f the. bridge,res'ts.on bearing plates 41li, vsecure'dtothe floor fof ther'ef cess,l the front 'plates including ,a' cone-pointed centering pin -8l) which vprojectsinto a hole in the bottoniiiange of the beam 62. Pins 82 projecting hroizontally from," the front lI-beam atits ends are guided by converging iiange irons 84' on the rear flanges of the end stanchionsfas a 'further aidjin'guicling the bridge intoy proper position'. j lAt thestations for the intermediate stanchions', the,- bridge is provided with bearing plates 88 against which the rear flange of the stanchions bear, the bearing plates being supported forwardly of the web of the I-beamby spacing members 89. .The platesare providedfwith a vertical slot 80, having a wide-mouthedfopeningat vthe top to `receive the shank ofthe stud 92 in each stanchion, the studs being tightened after the, stanchions have been lowered into place to secure the upper endsy thereof to `the `plates In orderv that the gatefsections mayLbeiraisfed and lowered without binding against the taf.; chions, the. sections are provided withfront, side edge, and rearguide rolls, 94,.,'9 6 and ll 8 resist; c-4 tively. Since the rolls' 98 engaging 'the"re'aij flange of thestanchions are required to :'sup f port the gate sections against the entire presf-.ll sureof the Water, onceithe-gatesfhave been put in place ,and theVV basin pumped out, these. rolls are preferablymore numerous andliltewi'se.ofl heavier constructionthan the other rolls. Sup;` plementary vertical channels .lllil'vin4 the sides the lgate sections provide .support for the inner endsof the stub shafts lQhfor .theserolls- A Effective sealingA to prevent., water leakage be.- tweenfthefstanchions and the gate sections lis provided bythe use-of strips 1020irubber belt. ing or the like secured to the gate sections along their forward vertical ,edges. f When the gate sections are in -place,` thesestripsfbear-V against oblique-anges'- -I 0 4 'secured to the webs Offthe stanchions, theintermediate `stanchions having flanges on both sides. o tthe-,web'while the end stanchions 4require only a. single fiange. A; By-'this arrangement `the water-pressure itself forces .the rubber strip' against its supporting iiange, 'autor matically insuring,airtight-seal.V Y v To insure proper positioning of the 4gate sec,- tions, and more particularly,y the sealingstrips, relative to' their cooperating'fianges, theA stan.-4 chions are provided with wedge blocks m6 which cause the gate sections,`on reaching fully 'low--l ered posit-ion, to assume their rearmost position so thatlthe rubber strips beary against the flanges 104. These wedge blocks are placed on the infV side face of the front ilange 30 of the stanchions in out-of-line position, the lower blocks lying close to the web and the upper blocks adjacent the edges of the ilange. The front guide rolls on the gate sections are similarly staggered, so that the lower rolls on the gate section pass by without engaging the upper blocks as the gate is lowered into place. Thus substantial clearance may be provided between gate sections and stanchions throughout practically the entire distance up to the point when the gate reaches fully lowered position, at which time the wedge blocks each engage their respective front guide roll on the gate sections to set the section back uniformly and complete the rubber strip seal.

By the above described arrangement of gate sections, stanchions, and bridge, a basin gate is provided which affords a tight barrier of great strength, yet may be easily removed and replaced when a vessel is to enter or leave the basin. To open the gate, the basin is rst allowed to ll with water, after which the gate sections are lifted out of place, the stanchionsecuring studs 92 loosened and the stanchions raised, and finally the bridge itself lifted and swung or carried to one side, leaving a passage to the basin that is free and unobstructed for substantially the full width of the basin. Replacement of the gate consists in the reverse order of operations, the bridge, stanchions, and gate sections being brought up by the yard crane and lowered into place. Through the provision of the guiding devices described, no under water work is necessary at any time in replacing the gate elements.

While certain aspects of the invention have been illustrated and described in considerable detail, the invention is not to be considered as limited to these particular details of construction, but contemplates that modiiications may be made to suit particular conditions and requirements.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a shipbuilding basin, a gate for the mouth thereof comprising a plurality of gate sections adapted to be positioned across the mouth of the basin, and supporting means therefor including vertical stanchions intermediate the gate sections and a truss bridging the mouth of the basin and supporting the upper ends of the stanchions, the gate sections, stanchions and truss being removable to open the basin.

2. In a shipbuilding basin, a gate for the mouth thereof comprising a plurality of separate gate sections each substantially the depth of the basin and adapted when placed side by side to extend across the mouth of the basin, a truss bridging the basin at the mouth, and a. plurality of vertical stanchions supported at their top by the truss and having their bottom ends secured against movement along the basin iioor, said stanchions being disposed between and providing support for the gate sections, the gate sections, stanchions and truss each being bodily removable to open the basin.

3. In a. shipbuilding basin, a gate for the mouth thereof comprising a plurality of separate gate sections adapted to be disposed in sideby-side relation across the basin mouth, vertical stanchions between gate sections for supporting the same, and a removable truss bridg- .ing the basin at the mouth end and supported against displacement inwardly of the basin, the

stanchions having their upper ends detachably secured to the truss and their lower ends positioned at the sill of the basin against displacement inwardly of the basin, and cooperating sealing members on stanchions and gate sections to minimize leakage through the gate.

4. In a shipbuilding basin, a gate for the mouth thereof comprising a removable truss carried by the side walls of the basin and bridging the mouth end thereof, vertical stanchions detachably supported at their upper ends by the truss and having their lower ends supported by the sill of the basin, separate gate sections adapted to be disposed between and supported by the stanchions, and resilient sealing means operative under the influence of iiuid pressure thereon when the gate is assembled for preventing leakage between the sill and the gate sections and between the gate sections and th stanchions.

5. In a shipbuilding basin having a loor, side walls and an end wall, a gate for the mouth of the basin comprising a plurality of separate gate sections adapted to be disposed in side-by-side relation across the basin mouth, a step formed in the basin oor adjacent the mouth of the basin and constituting a sill for the bottom oi the gates, a vertical stanchion xed in each side wall ,of the basin in line with the sill, a truss bridging the mouth of the basin and demountably supported on the side walls thereof, and vertical stanchions having their lower ends removably socKeted in the sill and their upper ends detachably connected to and supported by the truss, the gate sections being received between and supported by the stanchions.

6. In a shipbuilding basin having a floor, side walls and an end wall, a gate for the mouth oi' the basin comprising a truss carried by the side walls and bridging the mouth end of the basin, a sill comprising step and riser portions formed in the basin floor across the mouth thereof, vertical stanchions supported at their upper ends by the truss and having their lower ends supported by the sill, the sill and stanchions having cooperating guiding means for directing the stanchions into position on the sill as the stanchions are lowered, and separate gate sections adapted to be disposed between and supported by the stanchions to form a bairier across the mouth of the basin, the gates, stanchions and truss being bodily removable from the basin mouth to provide clear passage therethrough.

7. ln a shipbuilding basin, a gate for the mouth oi' the basin comprising a removable truss carried by the side walls of the basin and bridging the mouth thereof, vertical stanchions supported at the top by the truss and having their lower ends secured against displacement inwardly of the basin floor, said stanchions having an I-shaped section comprising front and rear iianges and a connecting web, separate gate sections adapted to be disposed between the stanchions, said gate sections having guiding rolls for positioning the gates relative to and intermediate the stanchion flanges and webs, cooperating sealing means on the stanchions and gate sections, and wedging means on the stanchions adapted to be engaged by the guiding rolls as the gates approach fully lowered position to insure accurate nal position of the gates with the sealing means in operative relation.

RAY A. MONCRIEFF. 

